Nas seize 100 tons of irregular organic food – nutrition

More than 100 tons of irregular organic food seized, 1,500 food packages unfit for marketing, labeling, for traceability and for the dates of hygiene and expiry. This is the result of 186 checks between March and May by the Nas Carabinieri in the "organic" chain. A total of 31 irregularities were found in the same number of companies and enterprises, with a total of 49 contested administrative offenses, for a total amount of 55,000 euros in penalties.

In recent months, the military riflemen for health protection have stepped up controls dedicated to the safety of the supply chain of organic products. Foods commonly defined as "organic" come from crops or farms using agronomic and zootechnical techniques with low environmental impact, by production protocols prohibiting or limiting the use of weed killers, insecticides or pesticides. fertilizer containing chemical synthesis substances.

In order to be marketed as "organic", a food must have been produced by companies certified by agencies accredited by the Ministry of Agriculture who affix their logo on these products, identifying them as organic. Among the most important interventions, the Carabinieri of the Nas of Treviso seized 1,950 kg of raw materials (biological flours of various types) all expired. Last May, they ordered the immediate closure of a company in the province of Milan, active in the production of cereal-based breakfasts from organic and traditional agriculture, because a large rodent infestation in the production premises. and warehouse, with a widespread presence of feces and perforation of the packaging.

The Nas also carried out an inspection in a wholesale business in the province of Forlì-Cesena, subjecting 7.000 kg of raw materials for sanitation (medicinal herbs, aromatic substances) and dietary supplements, some from organic farming, with a conservation term exceeded in some cases for more than a year. Other checks were carried out in Aosta and Brescia. In the latter control, the owner of a farm was reported to the judicial authorities as being held responsible for the crime of attempted fraud in the course of trading, for having sold various fake organic foods.